The Endorsement
The Endorsement is the third episode of the eleventh season of The New Girl, The Election. The episode centers Zoe Davis, as she contemplates whether or not she should pledge her support to Ben Kale in the election. The episode was released on May 3, 2012. Synopsis Jessica's not making Zoe's life any easier. Will Zoe cave to Jessica's pressure? Plot After school one day, while walking to practice with Sam, Zoe mentions the praise Nick has received for the photographs he took of the various cliques for the school newspaper. Sam divulges that while she is happy that Nick has found a hobby, she finds it odd that he would now decide to become Sara's campaign manager. Zoe comforts her, telling her that it is good that he has found his own friends. When asked why she is not walking towards the park, where the cheerleading practice is typically held, Zoe explains that the team is going to the diner to help Ben's campaign per Jessica's orders. Despite warnings from Sam that Jessica is taking advantage of her and the other cheerleaders, Zoe contends that she has no choice if she wants to remain on the team. Nonetheless, Sam asks her to be careful, citing her experiences with trying to please Taylor. She alerts Zoe that Jessica will try to exploit her to gain support for Ben because of her influence around the school. Parting ways, Zoe arrives at the diner, where Jessica instructs the squad to distribute campaign props to students. She tasks Zoe and Keith with handing out cupcakes in front of the entrance. They take note of how strict Jessica has been, in light of the election. Keith states that if he was unsure about who to vote, he would choose whoever Zoe votes for, as he predicts everyone would. Jessica commends Zoe for handing out all of the cupcakes, ignoring Keith and proceeds to compliment her appearance and suggest that she be moved to the center of the cheer formation. Zoe addresses Jessica's strange behavior, leading Jessica to ask Zoe to endorse Ben as president in exchange for privileges such as being her second-in-command and receiving Zoe's help for cheer routines. Zoe does not provide a definitive answer, as she does not know enough about Ben's position on issues. Irritated, Jessica warns her that her offer is temporary. As she walks away, Zoe worries that she made a mistake. That evening, Zoe goes to Howard's house for dinner with his family. Before dinner starts, she voices her discomfort to Howard regarding her interaction with Jessica earlier in the day, hoping that it would not occur again. Later, as she eats dinner with the family, Mrs. DeGeest asks if Zoe is free the weekend after school ends to host Howard's graduation party. As they discuss Howard's plans after high school which includes potentially going to the Ivy League Kingston University in New York on a football scholarship — Zoe tries to maintain her perturbation concerning the distance between her and Howard. Noting her discomfort, Howard walks outside with Zoe, where she explains that she does not want things between them to change. Howard consoles her, promising that things would not change. He invites her to join him on a tour of Centerscore University later this week. They tell each other that they love each other, though Zoe's uneasiness lingers. The next day after school, Zoe and the other cheerleaders gather in the Wilson High gym before a basketball game. Jessica announces that she wants to rearrange the cheer formation, replacing Jill's position as the mascot with Nicole's in the front. She subsequently gives Nicole Zoe's spot, leaving Zoe with the mascot. Recognizing that Jessica wants her to give in, Zoe puts on an impressive performance that the other cheerleaders compliment her for, with the exception of Jessica. In the locker room, Jessica tells Zoe that she is considering giving Zoe her position in the formation if she is unhappy as the mascot, given that the latter agrees to endorse Ben. Zoe again declines to provide her support, reiterating that she does not know his positions. Jessica storms off, as Zoe contemplates if she made the right decision. The next afternoon, Howard takes Zoe to Centerscore U. While Zoe attempts to maintain a positive attitude, hearing Howard say that the high school version of himself would be different from the college version and that he wants to join the MAN fraternity visibly upsets her, prompting Howard to ask her to communicate how she feels. Zoe admits that she is troubled by the distance, as it would make it harder for them to stay connected with each other's lives, feeling that she still does not what he is feeling. Although Howard refutes this and promises to talk with her, tears well in Zoe's eyes and she runs away from Howard. Zoe eventually stops to rest at a bench at night. Just as she realizes that she does not know where she is, Colt, who is on his motorcycle, stops by and offers her a ride to the university cafeteria. There, Colt confesses that he was going on a tour of the college, to Zoe's surprise. He explains that Denni persuaded him, though he is unsure if he would be admitted. Zoe then elucidates what was upsetting her, additionally mentioning the drama with Jessica. Colt advises her not to do whatever Jessica wants her to. Howard then arrives at the cafeteria and he takes her home. The next day, at cheerleading practice, Jessica takes Zoe aside to apologize for her behavior yesterday, attributing it to the stress of being Ben's campaign manager. She again asks Zoe if she would endorse Ben and Zoe again declines. Recognizing that Jessica only apologized in hopes to get her support, Zoe insists that even though she is not particularly interested in the election, she would not carelessly endorse Ben. As their argument catches the attention of the other cheerleaders, Zoe professes her love for cheerleading and accuses her of ruining the fun in the sport for everyone. She additionally asserts that she cannot threaten the girls anymore, as they should be allowed to disagree with her without fear. Before Jessica can respond, the other cheerleaders speak up in agreement of Zoe's defense. Seeing this, Jessica laughs, claiming that she only had Zoe in the mascot costume to give Jill a break and that she meant no harm out of it. She assures Zoe that she does not need to endorse Ben, when Zoe realizes that Jessica is only being nice to her because kicking her off the team would risk alienating the other members. Jessica allows the girls to go home, before warning Zoe to stay in line. Though Zoe's is happy to have stood up to Jessica, she worries that she may have started a bigger problem. Bonus Scene Nicole and Maria are holding tryouts for the next mascot. Ryan says that he always wanted to be around cheerleaders and Nicole promptly dismissed him. Erik then steps forward, who cites being able to bellyflop into a pool as his only athletic experience. Regardless, they select Erik as the next mascot. Afterwards, Maria asks Nicole where Jessica is, as she is typically in charge with holding tryouts. Nicole states that all Jessica said was that she had important planning to do. Elsewhere, Jessica is on her computer, updating a website. She threatens to show Zoe the consequences of defying her. Characters *Zoe Davis *Sam Hill *Jessica Blaire *Jill Patterson *Amanda Applebee *Keith Sanders *Dexter Albright *Carson King *Megan Hopkins *Howard DeGeest *Kay and Kel DeGeest *Nicole Blackwell *Colt Warren *Erik Ericson *Maria Gonzalez *Ryan Powell *Mrs. DeGeest *Horace DeGeest Category:Episodes Category:Year 4 Category:The New Girl Category:Season 11: The Election